Last Sunday in May
Virgen del Portillo, Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain
| In 1118, after 400 years of Islamic rule, Imad ad-Dawla
ceded Zaragoza to Alfonso I "the Battler" of Aragon after a
siege. The following March, Muslim forces trying to retake the city opened
a breach (portillo) in its wall. In the night sky, rallying
Christians saw a radiance coming from the wall, with an image of Our Lady.
On arriving at the breach, they found the ground piled with dead invaders.
In honor of the Virgin's having marshaled angelic hosts to defend the
city, King Alfonso ordered a chapel built there, with her statue set in
the breach. The building has undergone several major reconstructions in
its 900-year history. The baroque church of 1702 is now home to a
cosmopolitan congregation including many immigrants from South America.
The foot-high alabaster image occupies an elaborate altarpiece moved to
the Portillo Church from the Dominican friary on its destruction in the
revolution of 1868. Our Lady holds the child against her with her left
arm, in nursing position. Her carved garments include a starry
floor-length tunic, a robe, a veil, and a long mantle tied with cords.
Like Zaragoza's most famous Virgin, Our Lady of the Pillar, she stands on
a draped jasper column, surrounded by a sculpted radiance.
Celebrated without interruption from the 1400s until the Spanish Civil
War and recently resumed, the Virgin's romería takes place on the
last Sunday in May. City officials welcome pilgrims to the chapel at 8:30
a.m. After prayers and songs, the procession leaves the church, following
the cross, a replica of the Virgin's statue (right), and a banner reading
"For a diverse community and peace in the city." Crossing
through the Old Town, the group stops at St. Paul's Church, whose
parishioners join the march, doing their traditional dance del Gancho
along the way to the Plaza del Portillo, where representatives of many
countries pray to the Virgin on behalf of their homelands, while a floral
offering is presented in the church. Celebrations continue with music,
games, dancing, refreshments, and holy mass. The Virgin's replica also
participates in the processions of Holy Week. |
Photo of processional replica by Jorge Sesé, "Martes
Santo 2010. Oracion del Huerto," Flickr - Photo Sharing!
www.flickr.com |
Sources:
 | Cáritas Diocesana Zaragoza, "La parroquia de Ntra Sra
del Portillo con los inmigrantes," Upload & Share PowerPoint
presentations and documents, www.slideshare.net/MargaCaritas/la-parroquia-de-ntra-sra-del-portillo-con-los-inmigrantes |
| Eduardo Torra De Arana, Guía para visitar los santuarios
marianos de Aragón, Ediciones Encuentro, Madrid, 1996 |
| "La virgen del Portillo recorrerá las calles de
Zaragoza en Romería," May 29, 2010, Pasión en Zaragoza,
pasionenzaragoza.blogspot.com |
Also commemorated this date:
| Nuestra Señora de la Alborada, Guayaquil, Ecuador |
| Notre-Dame de l'Espérance, Saint-Brieuc, Brittany, France |
| Boldogasszony, Karancsság, Nógrád, Northern Hungary, Hungary |
| Madonna della Rocchetta, Lerma, Alessandria, Piedmont, Italy |
| Madonna della Salute, Roveredo di Guà, Verona, Veneto, Italy |
| Madonna del Pilastro, Gragnano Trebbiense, Piacenza, Emilia-Romagna,
Italy |
| Madonna del Carmelo, Vetralla, Viterbo, Latium, Italy |
| Madonna della Misericordia, Cantalice, Rieti, Latium, Italy |
| Madonna dell'Immaginetta, Monte San Giovanni in Sabina, Rieti, Latium,
Italy (Madonna of the Little Image). Festa. |
| Madonna di Maggio, Sant'Oreste, Roma, Latium, Italy |
| Nostra Signora del Buoncammino, Buddusò, Sassari, Sardinia, Italy |
| Madonna della Speranza, Battipaglia, Salerno, Campania, Italy |
| Santa Maria di Fonti, Tricarico, Potenza, Basilicata, Italy |
| Madonna del Monte, Salandra, Matera, Basilicata, Italy |
| Madonna della Grotta, Cirigliano, Matera, Basilicata, Italy |
| SS. Maria Incoronata, Apricena, Foggia, Apulia, Italy |
| Madonna della Ricotta, Carlantino, Foggia, Apulia, Italy |
| Madonna della Serra, Giuggianello, Lecce, Apulia, Italy |
| Maria Ausiliatrice, Monteroni, Lecce, Apulia, Italy |
| Madonna della Coltura, Parabita, Lecce, Apulia, Italy |
| Madonna dell'Aiuto, Buonvicino, Cosenza, Calabria, Italy |
| Madonna dei Fiori, Mandatoriccio, Cosenza, Calabria, Italy |
| Madonna del Buon Consiglio, San Giacomo di Cerzeto, Cosenza,
Calabria, Italy (Madonna of Good Counsel). Diocesan sanctuary. |
| Madonna Santa Spina, Taverna, Catanzaro, Calabria, Italy |
| Maria Santissima della Margana, Pantelleria, Trapani, Sicily, Italy |
| Madonna dei Casi Disperati, Carini, Palermo, Sicily, Italy |
| Santa Maria dell'Aiuto, Catania, Catania, Sicily, Italy |
| Madonna della Consolazione, Paternò, Catania, Sicily, Italy. Festa. |
| Maria Ausiliatrice, Piazza Armerina, Enna, Sicily, Italy |
| Vor Frue, Birkerød, Frederiksborg, Zealand, Netherlands |
| Onze Lieve Vrouw ter Linde, Oisterwijk, North Brabant, Netherlands |
| Our Lady of Hope, Pag-asa, Quezon City, Philippines |
| Matka
Sprawiedliwości i Miłości Społecznej, Piekary
Śląskie,
Silesia, Poland (Mother of Justice and Social Love) |
|
| Królowej Rodzin, Wambierzyce, Lower Silesia, Poland |
| Nossa Senhora da Ribeira, Quintaninha, Bragança, Norte, Portugal |
| Nossa Senhora do Livramento, Barcelos, Braga, Norte, Portugal,
Fragoso district (Our Lady of Release) |
| Nossa Senhora da Saúde, Póvoa do Varzim, Porto, Norte, Portugal
(Our Lady of Health) |
| Nossa Senhora da Esperança, Alcáçovas, Viana do Alentejo, Évora,
Portugal (Our Lady of Hope) |
| Nuestra Señora de la Providencia, La Providencia, Gijón, Asturias,
Spain |
| Virgen de Montesclaros, Reinosa, Campoo, Cantabria, Spain. Fiesta de
la Rosa. |
| Virgen de la Peña, Congosto, León, Castile and León, Spain |
| Virgen de la Estrella, Mosqueruela, Teruel, Aragon, Spain |
| Virgen de Bañales, Uncastillo, Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain |
| Virgen del Río, Berdejo, Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain |
| Nuestra Señora del Tanquito, Cardón, Pájara, Fuerteventura,
Canary Islands, Spain |
| Virgen de la Consolación, Hernán Pérez, Cáceres, Extremadura,
Spain |
| Virgen de la Antígua, Mestanza, Ciudad Real, Castilla la Mancha,
Spain. Romería. |
| Virgen de la Encarnación, El Hito, Cuenca, Castilla la Mancha,
Spain (Our Lady of the Incarnation) |
| Virgen de la Salceda, Tendilla, Guadalajara, Castilla la Mancha,
Spain (Our Lady of the Willow Grove). Romería. |
| Virgen del Pino, Niebla, Huelva, Andalucía, Spain |
| Virgen de la Victoria, Martos, Jaén, Andalucía, Spain |
| María Auxiliadora, Alcora, Canjáyar, Almería, Andalucía, Spain
(Mary the Helper) |
| Virgen de la Fe, Las Barreras, Órgiva, Almería, Andalucía, Spain
(Virgin of the Faith) |
| Virgen de la Arrixaca, Murcia, Murcia, Spain |
| Virgen de la Rogativa, Moratalla, Murcia, Spain. Romería. |
| Queen of Pokuttya, Tysmenytsia, Tysmenytskyi, Ivano-Frankivsk,
Ukraine |
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